


One Dream (Part 2 of "Online")

by ragnar_rock



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Athelnar - Freeform, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Online Dating, Online Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 03:43:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4044577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragnar_rock/pseuds/ragnar_rock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of an AU fic in which Ragnar and Athelstan are in a long-distance, online relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Dream (Part 2 of "Online")

Ragnar dropped down onto the bed the second he got in the door.  
He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling and waiting for the ache in his feet to die down. He stayed there like that, waiting to gather the strength to move, until a good twenty minutes had passed. Finally, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt. He leaned halfway off of his bed and pushed aside his freshly dropped shirt and bits of trash and beer cans to find the remote. He sniffed and flipped on the TV. He put on the rest of the episode of Wallander he'd been watching -the British remake, not the Swedish original. Whenever he watched it he always felt a little as if he was betraying his heritage somehow, but he liked how their accents reminded him of Athelstan. Besides, he was born and raised in America regardless of where his father had come from. "American", that's what his passport said, even if it did always feel as though America was a great beast trying to shake him off of her back like a flea.  
He sighed heavily.  
"Why here, Dad?"  
He ran his hand down his face.  
Sweden was no paradise either, but at least it was closer to Athelstan.  
He groaned and clutched his phone to his chest.  
  
He could smell blood as he walked into the hut. Usually the sight of Athelstan's hut brought joy to his heart and butterflies to his stomach, but something about the stillness of it today made his blood run cold.  
He stepped in something wet and looked down.  
The ground, no, the whole universe seemed to fall out from under him as he looked at his whole world in a crumpled heap at his feet.  
"No...." He said hollowly.  
He was on his knees.  
"NO!"  
Athelstan's face was white. Why wouldn't his eyes see him?  
All this time longing to touch him and now his skin felt cold.  
  
He woke up screaming, tangled in his blankets with tears streaming down his face.  
"Oh God!" He went to look at his phone but he couldn't find it.  
He tore apart his bed and searched everywhere before suddenly his phone slipped out from under his pillow and he snapped it up.  
No new messages. It was as still as Athelstan's heart had been in his dream.  
**Ragnar:** Stan?  
It took him seven tries to type that simple message and send it.  
He sat back against his destroyed bed and stared at the blank phone. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. His teeth were chattering in his panic and he was trembling. A few more awful minutes and he decided that once he had the strength, he'd get up and make himself something hot to drink.  
Another five minutes.  
He groaned and started to get up when he heard Athelstan chime from his phone and snapped it up.  
**Athelstan:** Shouldn't you be asleep?  
Ragnar let out a choked sob and curled up on his bed, clutching his phone.  
**Athelstan:** Are you ok?  
**Ragnar:** Yeah.  
He smiled shakily, starting to feel ridiculous for his panic.  
**Ragnar:** Shouldn't you be in class?  
**Athelstan:**... yeah. I'm texting from my lecture like a rebel.  
Ragnar laughed softly and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.  
**Ragnar** : Just don't be getting any tattoos before lunch, yeah?  
**Athelstan** : :P  
**Athelstan:** You sure you're alright?  
**Ragnar:** [is typing]  
**Ragnar:** [deleting]  
**Athelstan:** R?  
**Ragnar:** Yeah. Bad dream.  
**Athelstan:** Tha'ts weird.  
**Ragnar:** Eh. It's ok  
**Athelstan:** I didn't sleep well either. Actually, I had quite a bad nightmare.  
**Ragnar:** I'm sorry  
**Athelstan:** Yeah...

A minute passed in silence between them and Ragnar noticed an irritating, high pitched sound that seemed to drive into his temples. He looked up at the TV. Wallander had ended and been replaced with some childrens' cartoon starring an animated goat with the most irritating voice Ragnar had ever heard. He went to turn it off but the remote had been buried when he was searching for his phone. He groaned and tried to ignore it a minute. He made it fifteen seconds before he got up with a grunt and hurried across his room to push the TV off manually.  
  
**Athelstan:** We were finally together, but I couldn't talk to you.  
**Ragnar:** That was mine too.  
**Athelstan:** *hugs*  
**Ragnar:** *hugs*  
**Athelstan** : Hey R, can I call you?  
**Ragnar** : Yeah  
  
Ragnar quickly took a sip of one of the cans sitting around and cleared his throat, hoping he had his voice back and didn't sound as if he'd been crying like a little girl only a few minutes ago. He put on his headphones and waited.  
He answered Athelstan's call.  
"Hey?" He said tentatively, his voice did sound rather rough.  
"Hey, listen, I can't speak long." Athelstan's voice echoed a lot, and Ragnar was about to ask him if he was in the bathroom, but he kept talking.  
"A-and so I just wanted to tell you...now, before I have to go.... I-I love you."  
Ragnar's heart stopped and his mouth fell open and he sat, grinning stupidly.  
"R-Ragnar?"  
"Yes! I mean, I am here, hm? I - I mean me too. I do - I love you." He sighed and leaned back against the wall, feeling as if he'd fluffed everything and yet won a lottery at the same time.  
"I love you." he repeated softly.  
He heard Athelstan squeak at the other end.  
"Good, I-I mean me too." He heard Athelstan reply, a smile in his voice.  
"I have to go now, I can only hide so long in the toilet. I'll talk to you later."  
"Yeah."  
The call ended and Ragnar collapsed back against the bed, grinning up at the ceiling.  
He closed his eyes with a content sigh and was sleeping soundly not minutes later.


End file.
